Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-02-14
IRRIGATION.
Wright's Bill for Forma.
ton of Districts, Etc
PERFECTED IN COMMITTEE.
The Bill as it has Been Amended
and Will Probably Pass.
An Important Law.

As this is the most important piece of
legislation before the two Houses this
session, and as it will probably be the
law that will hereafter govern the &C.
quirement and use of water, we present
it as whole in the sections that are Of
material value to irrigationists; emitting
such as open merely to the routine ma
chinery of placing it in operation. and
summarizing such sections as are only Of
partial Importance. The bill is very
lengthy, containing forty-six sections,
some Of them very elaborate.
l. Whenever fifty or a majority of
freeholders owning lands susceptible Of
one mode Of irrigation from a common
source, and by the same system Of
works. desire to provide for the irriga-
tion Of the same, they may propose the
organic ition of an irrigation district un.
der the provision OF this act, and when
80 organized such district shall have the
powers conferred, or that may hereafter
be conferred by law upon such irri.
CATION districts.
2. A petition shall first be presented
to the Board of Supervisors of the
county in which the lands or the greatest
portion thereof is situated, signed by
the required number of freeholders of
such proposed district, which petition
shall set forth and particularly describe
the proposed boundaries of such district,
and shall pray that the same may be or.
ganizsd under the provisions OF this
act. The petitioners must accompany
the petition wi b a good aud suffi ;ient
bond, to be approved by the said Board
of Supervisors, in double the amount
OF the probable cost of organizing such
district, conditioned that the bondsmsn
will pay all said cost in case said rgani.
zation shall not be affected. Such peti.
tion shall be presented at regular meet
ing of the said Board. and shall be pub.
lished for at least two weeks before the
time at which the same is to be present.
ed, in some newspaper printed
and published in the cosnty where
said petition is presented, to.
gether with notice stating the
time of the meeting at which the same
will be presented. When such petition
is presented, the said Board of Super
visors shall hear the same, and may ad-
journ such hearing from time to time,
not exceeding four weeks in all; and on
the fnal hearing, may make such
changes in the proposed boundaries as
they may find to be proper. aud shall
establish aud define such boundaries;
prouided, that said Board shall not mod.
ify said boundaries SO as to except from
the operation OF this act any territory
within the boundaries of the district pro
posed by said petitioners, which is sus.
ceptible OF irrigation by the same system
OF works applicable to the other lanes in
such proposed district, nor shall any
lands which will not in the judgment o
said Board, be benefited by irrigation by
said system be included within such dis
trics. Said Board shall also make an or.
der dividing said district into FIVE divi
sions, as nearly equal in size as may be
practicable, which shall be numbered
First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth.
and one director shall be elected from
each district. Said Board of Supergi.
sors shall then give notice of an election
to be held in such proposed district, for
the purpose of determining whether or
the provisions OF this act. Such notice
shall describe boundaries SO established,
and shall designate name for
such proposed district, and said
notice shall be published for at
least three weeks prior to such
election in a newspaper published
within said county; and If any portion
Of such proposed district lie within any
other county or counties, then said no.
tice shall be published in a newspaper
published within each of said counties.
Such notice shall require the electors to
cast ballots which shall contain the
words, Irrigation District, Yes;" or
'.Irrigation District, No." or words
equivalent thereto; and also the names
of persons to be voted for to fill the
various elective Off ,es hereinafter pre-.
scribed. No person shall be entitled to
vote at any election held under the pro.
visions of this act unless he shall be
land owner, and shall in addition thereto
possess all the qualifications required o.
electors under the general election laws
OF this State.
8. Such election shall be conducted
in accordance with the general election
laws of the State, provided that no par
ticular form of ballot shall be required.
The said Board of Supervisors shall
meet on the second Monday next sue.
ceeding such election, and proceed
to canvass the votes cast thereat;
and if upon such canvass it
appear that at least two tairds
of all votes cast are 'Irrigation District,
Yes" the said Board shall, by an order
entered on their minutes, declare such
territory duly org lnizsd as an irrig stion
district, under the name and style there.
tofore designated. and shall declare the
persons receiving. respectively, the
highest number of votes for such several
offices to be duly elected to such offices.
Said Board lshall cause copy of such
order, duly certified, to be Immediately
fled for record in the office of the
County Recorder Of each county in
which any portion of such lands are
situated, and must also Immediately
forward copy thereof to the Clerk Of
the Board of Supervisors OF each of the
counties in which any portion of the
district may lie; and no Board of Super.
visors of any county, including any
portion of such district, shall, after the
date of the organization of such district,
allow another district to be formed in.
Guiding any of the lands in such district,
without the consent of the Board OF
Directors thereof; and from and after
the date of such fling, the organizat on
of such district shall be complete, and
the officers thereof shall bs entitled to
enter immediately upon the duties Of
their respective offices, upon qualifying
in acc ordapce with law, and shall hold
such Offices respectively, until their sue
cessors are elected aud qualified. Fol-
the purposes of the election
above provided for, the said Board
convenient number of election pre-.
cincts in said proposed district, and
define the boundaries thereof, which
said precincts may hereafter be changed